02.01.15
Marketing Illusions Shattered: Vista 10 is Not ‘Free’ and Not Even a ‘Free’ Upgrade
There is no free lunch at Microsoft
Summary: The truth about Microsoft’s pricing strategy is revealed almost a fortnight after Microsoft lied about it for the sake of diversionary publicity
A couple of weeks ago Microsoft was overwhelmed by bad news, so it launched a propaganda campaign to help distract from it all. It was probably an expensive campaign of lies and it relied on the obedience of journalists, maybe even bribing of some (yes, Microsoft bribes journalists and bloggers, as we have shown many times before).
“As Pogson correctly points out, this is about making more “slaves” who are dependent on Windows and then pressuring business to follow suit.”In our responses to the propaganda campaign we tackled the delusion of ‘free’ Windows, but this delusion refuses to die. Microsoft tries to keep the myth alive (Microsoft Peter persists with his 24/7 Microsoft advertising at Condé Nast, so Ars Technica has become a laughing stock in the area of software), but some realise what Microsoft is really doing. See Robert Pogson’s take on this news:
Microsoft has confirmed that, unlike your average Alice and Bob, enterprises won’t get a free upgrade to Windows 10 when the new operating system is finally released.
As Pogson correctly points out, this is about making more “slaves” who are dependent on Windows and then pressuring business to follow suit. It’s about creating a monoculture and monopoly. There is nothing ‘free’ about it. It’s an expensive mistake. █